I think there is no harm for novice DIY mechanics to do work on their own cars.Other than working in a garage or going to a trade school,there are not many other way that they can learn their"trade".My corcern is that they should not practice their learning on any safety system on their personal car or on any friend's or relative's car.It's OK to goof up replacing a bulb,or changing a fan belt,but messing up a brake job,leaving a steering component loose,or installing a ball joint improperly could have grave consequences.Stick to the type of jobs that if screwed up will not cause a potential accident or injury.If you have any doubt as to your abilities,error on the side of good judgement and hire a professional to do the work needed.Saving a few bucks is'nt worth the risk or injury or worse to you,your family,or any other party that would be affected by your mistakes.

This was my main focus in staring this thread. And it is going well. A few have wieghed in and now more can see the problem. These conversions speak volumes for just that fact. Lets keep going and then more will see an sit and think first before jumping into the quicksand pool. I as well would like to add now that I personally feel that aside form the obvious well stated safety issues in general. There is a MAJOR $$$$$$ issue few think about too motivating me. Many here bitch about how much things cost. So they DIY it. And many times with "cheap as I can get" parts too. I am not really for teh most part disagreeing with that. Thou the "cheap as you can get" is up for debate. Some times it is ok other it is very unwise when for a little more $ you get much more/better part. And you do not have to spend top $$$ either I agree many times. But then dong the job wrong with a cheap part does nothing for getting rid of the $$$$$$$$$$$$$ work you bitched about before you did the DIY. When later you do it over and over and over with new parts just out of the 30-90 day warrenty or break other stuff along the way and it then COST you more in the end then if you had jsut had it done right once. For example you are told at 40-45,000 that front brake pads will be say $100 to do while you wait in an hour. You have that done and the next time you need it is in 50,000 miles maybe at 90-100,000. You do it yourself and buy great $25 pads and say oh ok it took me 30 mins lets say it all was $40 to you. But then in 15-20,000 they go MIA and you do it again $40 and again at 20,000 $40. That is by 85,000 $120. But you now realize oh gee the second time I needed rotors too so it was not $40 it was $140. And the third time due to teh on and off of the bolts you snapped one of the caliper cradle bolts off. And it was not able to be drilled out or you broke teh ear doing it and now that $40 job is $200. Now at 80,000 it is not $120 but $380! And you COULD HAVE spent $100 and been at 90-100,000 NO SWEAT right? See my OTHER POINT?

hI EVERYONE, Sorry for the caps there. I am from the USA. I got a 09 Sorie that i got my GF's side step bars for free when she traded her 09 sorie in for a tahoe cause she wanted larger size vehicle. So they are the factory bars. problem is i can not install them cause they sold her truck that same week and forgot to remove four insert nuts that go into the sub frame. I ordered a part kit and guess what not insert nuts. So Kia does not know what i am talking about and i can not locate a part number for these nuts and or inserts. does anyone here know what they are for sure>? any help would be great just send me a email please thanks!!!
i got a 09 sorento lx 4wd the bars are factory bars semi round / flat with black rubber tread using a channel bracket that goes to the sub frame then bolts in from bottom and one bolt from the side into the frame, then a semi c shape holder for the side step bar to teh bracket under the rocker panel to frame bracket. HELP HELP thanks.

first off to 09 sorento find a local fastenal store/shop and they can help you get an insert nut that will work for your step bars. next i'd have to agree with pistnbroke this should absolutely not be a sticky and he is also right about there is no technical value. on that note instead of having an overly complicated number value associated with diy projects it needs to be rated as simple as beginner, intermediate, and advanced. In conclusion I would like to touch on what 04sorentolx posted about doing brake jobs first off if you're going to do a brake job i recommend checking the thickness of the pads and replacing them when they are anywhere from 1-3mm, never just assume you need pads a certain mileage, also always machine the rotors.(quick fact rotors should never cost $100 if you pay that much your getting shafted) secondly if you ever "snapped one of the caliper cradle bolts off. And it was not able to be drilled out or you broke teh ear doing it..." you should just put the wrench down and take it to your local kia dealer.

Hmm...I'm a little torn on this one, to me it is a good idea to caveat any job with safety concerns, however, I'm not sure that going to the point of discouraging folks from tackling a job is a good idea or best serves the purpose of the forum. In my mind, it is really up to the operator of the vehicle to know his or her limitations or the limitations of the person working on their vehicle. With good procedural guidance and some mechanical know how, there are very few tasks that the average shade tree mechanic cant tackle. I don't think the forum should be trying to rate difficulty, only sharing knowledge, it should be up to the user to decide what level risk they feel they are taking on.

That said, if the question is specifically related to difficulty then the qualitative type answers are applicable, users should use candor in their responses in this case and only talk to their level of expertise. I don't think any of the qualitative type responses warrant regulation or some level of standardization as, again, it should be up to the reader to decipher their own capabilities.